A bobbin winding machine with a cheese changer and a magazine for empty tubes disposed at the end of the winding machine is known from European Patent Publication EP 0 262 726 A. The empty tube magazine is connected with the winding stations via a conveyor arrangement extending over the length of the machine. When required, i.e., for a cheese change, a servicing device is positioned in front of the appropriate winding station and orders a fresh empty tube from the empty tube magazine, which it takes from the conveyor with the help of a gripper arm and then inserts it into the bobbin frame by means of a transfer device. It is further known to separate the servicing device and the tube conveying device functionally as much as possible.
In a system described in German Patent Publication P 43 28 033.1, each winding station has a manipulating device which can be pivoted into the area of the tube conveying system. This system consists of a sturdy, essentially maintenance-free tube gripper which is pivotable in a defined way by means of a pneumatic drive system between a tube pick-up position in the area of the conveying system and a tube release position in the area of an intermediate storage device which is part of the winding station. The storage state of the intermediate storage device is monitored by sensors, for example a light scanner. The sensors of the individual winding stations are connected via the central control unit of the textile machine with the control unit of the tube magazine, so that an empty tube can be requested when needed from the empty tube magazine disposed at the end of the machine.